The IRS is at a pivotal moment for its future, and who better to weigh in than four former commissioners who led the agency through decades of change? As demands for greater efficiency and accountability grow, questions emerge about how the IRS can operate effectively with limited resources. What does a well-structured IRS look like in today’s fiscal climate? How can the agency meet goals for collections, privacy, and service amid calls for government downsizing? And what insights can these leaders offer to guide reform efforts that rise above politics? 

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Cara Griffith
President and CEO, Tax Analysts

As the moderator for our Taxing Issues webinars, Cara objectively analyzes issues and asks probing questions that challenge panelists to explain and defend their positions.

When she’s not moderating Taxing Issues webinars, Cara provides strategic oversight for Tax Analysts. She has led efforts to improve the Tax Notes suite of products and to aggressively pursue transparency in the administration of tax systems. Previously, Cara managed the editorial department, including the flagship daily news publications and weekly magazines. She has written for a broad range of tax policy publications, including Tax Notes State, The Tax Adviser, The Hedge Fund Law Report, and The Hill. She regularly speaks at tax conferences and other events, discussing a variety of technical tax issues as well as the need for transparency in tax administration.

Cara has a BA in political science and a BA in international studies from the University of Evansville and a JD from the George Washington University Law School.

Lawrence Gibbs
Senior Counsel at Miller & Chevalier and the 41st IRS Commissioner

Lawrence B. Gibbs was the 41st IRS commissioner.  

Larry began to practice law in Corpus Christi, Texas, in 1963, with Branscomb, Gary, Thomasson & Hall.  In 1972 he was appointed an IRS deputy chief counsel by then-Treasury Secretary George Shultz.  He served as acting IRS chief counsel in 1973 until he was appointed assistant commissioner (technical).  Larry left the IRS in 1976 to become a member of the Dallas law firm Hewett, Johnson, Swanson & Barbee In 1986 President Reagan appointed him IRS commissioner.  In 1989 he returned to private law practice as a member of the Washington office of his prior Dallas law firm, and in 1994 he became a member of Miller & Chevalier in Washington, for which he now is a senior counsel. 

Larry is a member of the Texas and District of Columbia bars, the American Law Institute, the American College of Tax Counsel, the Tax Analysts board of directors, and the American Bar Association Section of Taxation, where he has served on the Administrative Practice, Formulation of Tax Policy, and Tax Court Appointments committees.  He is an advisory trustee of the Southern Federal Tax Institute.  In 1989 Larry received the Treasury Department’s Alexander Hamilton Award.  He has received the Distinguished Service Award from the Tax Executives Institute, the Kenneth S. Liles Award for Distinguished Service from the Federal Bar Association, the Pillar of Excellence Award from the Tax Council Policy Institute, and the Distinguished Service Award of the ABA tax section.  The Texas State Bar has recognized Larry with its Tax Legend Award.   

John Koskinen
48th IRS Commissioner

John Koskinen was the 48th IRS commissioner.  

Before his appointment, Koskinen served as the non-executive chair of Freddie Mac from 2008 to 2012 and its acting CEO in 2009. Previously, Koskinen served as president of the U.S. Soccer Foundation, deputy mayor and city administrator of Washington, assistant to the president and chair of the President's Council on Year 2000 Conversion, and deputy director for management at the Office of Management and Budget.  

Koskinen also spent 21 years in the private sector in various leadership positions with the Palmieri Co., including president and CEO, helping to turn around large, troubled organizations. He began his career in 1965 clerking for Chief Judge David L. Bazelon of the D.C. Circuit;  practiced law with Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher; and served as assistant to the deputy executive director of the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, also known as the Kerner Commission. Koskinen also served as legislative assistant to New York Mayor John Lindsay and administrative assistant to Connecticut Sen. Abraham Ribicoff.  

Koskinen holds a JD from Yale University School of Law and a bachelor’s degree from Duke University. He also studied international law for one year in Cambridge, England.  

Charles Rettig
Shareholder at Chamberlain Hrdicka and the 49th IRS Commissioner

Charles “Chuck” Rettig, a shareholder in Chamberlain Hrdlicka’s tax controversy and litigation practice and other tax, trust, and estate practices, served as the 49th IRS commissioner from 2018 through 2022. 

Before that, Chuck spent 36 years with an esteemed tax law firm in Beverly Hills, California, where he represented high-net-worth individuals, businesses, and corporate taxpayers.  

Chuck most recently served as vice chair of administration for the American Bar Association Section of Taxation and as president of the American College of Tax Counsel. He was a member of the IRS Advisory Council for three years, beginning in 2008, and he served as IRSAC’s chair from 2010 to 2011. He served as chair of the State Bar of California Taxation Section and has served on the advisory boards of both the Franchise Tax Board and the Board of Equalization in California. Chuck is a certified specialist in both taxation law and in estate planning, trust, and probate law with the California State Bar Board of Legal Specialization. 

Chuck received a BA in economics from the University of California at Los Angeles, as well as a JD with honors from Pepperdine University School of Law and an LLM in taxation from New York University School of Law. 

Daniel Werfel
50th IRS Commissioner

Danny Werfel was the 50th IRS commissioner. 

Before serving as IRS commissioner, Werfel was the global leader of Boston Consulting Group's public sector practice, after having led that practice in North America. In those roles, he worked with government agencies worldwide on finances, service delivery, transformation plans, and risk-assessment initiatives. 

Before joining Boston Consulting Group in 2014, Werfel served in the federal government for more than 15 years, including seven months as acting IRS commissioner in 2013. He was controller of the Office of Management and Budget and deputy director of management at OMB. While at OMB, he also served as deputy controller, chief of the financial integrity and analysis branch, budget examiner in the education branch, and policy analyst in the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. Werfel has also served as a trial attorney in the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division. 

Werfel received the Presidential Rank Award for Meritorious Service in 2008. He served as a member of the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board from 2006 to 2009 and the Defense Business Board from 2014 to 2016. 

Werfel received the Presidential Rank Award for Meritorious Service in 2008. He holds a master’s in public policy from Duke University, a JD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a bachelor’s in industrial and labor relations from Cornell University.